Kolb Center Re-creates Its Opening

10th Anniversary Offers Exhibits, Nature Hikes

What's old was new again during the recent 10th anniversary celebration at the Anne Kolb Nature Center.

About 400 attended the event, which featured a series of exhibits, boat tours, nature hikes, displays, guest speakers and arts and crafts tables for children, said naturalist Joanne Howes.

"We had a wide variety of activities for the grand opening ceremony 10 years ago, and we wanted to re-create that for the 10th anniversary celebration," she said. "It was a fun way to reintroduce the center to the community."

The center, at 751 Sheridan St. in Hollywood, was named in honor of Anne Kolb, an activist who fought to preserve parklands and for greater government control over development. An award-winning journalist, she was the first woman elected to the Broward County Commission in 1974. She died of cancer in 1981.

The 1,500-acre nature preserve, just west of the Intracoastal Waterway, is ideal for canoeing and kayaking, and the mangrove habitat offers an up-close and serene view of native wildlife, including several varieties of large-billed birds and plant and marine life.

Regular visitors Fred and Marilyn Dennison of Hollywood went on a boat tour and took in the bird walk.

"We saw an osprey and a yellow-crested night heron," said Marilyn, who brought her aunt, Katherine Petrusky, who was visiting from Ohio.

"We come here a lot," Fred said. "These mangroves are the nursery for many fish in the ocean, particularly snook and tarpon. This is a wonderful place, an island of calm in a sea of insanity."

Ahmie Turk and Gerda Potz of Coral Springs, who volunteered at the center in its first year before relocating from southeast Broward, also enjoyed the festivities.

"With all the real estate developments going up, this needs to be preserved," Turk said. "The birds need the sanctuaries, and this affects our lifestyle and our economy."

Potz said she frequently brings friends and family. "Next month we're taking the grandchildren canoeing," she said. "It's nice that they have this right in the middle of the population"

Cari Kresa of Dania Beach also has a history with the place: a relative helped Kolb campaign for county commissioner, and, as a child, her father often brought her to the center.

"I was out here before it was even a park. My dad would drag us out here to oyster," Kresa said. "It hasn't changed much, and it's really important that this be preserved so that no houses get built here."

The Audubon Society of Broward County had an information booth, and past president Lisa Baumbach-Reardon of Plantation conducted the bird walk. As she led a group through the trails and walkways, she spoke of warblers, hawks, peregrine falcons and ibis. "This is the time of year for the birds' breeding season. The juveniles are changing color," she said.

Jackie Overcash of Sunrise brought son Eric back after a recent excursion to the center.

"We came here Tuesday and heard about this, and we just went on the boat ride," she said. "We did a lot of activities and took in the nature walk and some arts and crafts."

Eric especially enjoyed the boat ride. "I saw a little stingray in the water and also two crabs," he said.

Cindy Shipman of Coconut Creek was glad she brought her son, Stephen. "This is a nice place to come to and learn about nature and wildlife," she said.

In the exhibit hall, DiVitto and Andrea Kelly, artists from Hollywood, staffed a booth where they fashioned marine life from papier-mchM-i.

"We get involved here because it's a great cause," DiVitto said. "It's the best park around."

Nearby, Karl Ryker of Pembroke Pines stood by as son Kyle stared at an aquarium, hoping to coax out an elusive crustacean.

"I'm waiting for a shrimp to come out and swim across," Kyle said. "He already did it and I want to see him again."

ANNE KOLB NATURE CENTER

The center, at 751 Sheridan St. in Hollywood, includes a lake for fishing, narrated tours of tidal creeks and open waters, picnic pavilions, open-air areas with tables and grills, a five-level observation tower, exhibit hall and a biking/jogging trail.